Riverbank Stabilization of Lead Contaminated Soils Using Native Plant Vegetative Caps

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Hamburg is a small borough located in Berks County, Pennsylvania. During the 1940s and 1950s, crushed automobile battery casings, containing high levels of lead, were used as fill in and around Hamburg. Several of the fill areas were along the eastern bank of the Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill River Canal. To reduce exposure to human and ecological receptors, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) initiated actions at several of the fill areas. Remediation actions at three of these fill areas, the Berry Property, the Hamburg Playground City Playground, and the Port Clinton Avenue site, utilized native plants, slope stabilization, and soil caps. The Berry Property consisted of a flat, wooded area adjacent to the river. The Hamburg Playground consisted of a steep wooded slope between the river and the parking lot for the municipal park. The Port Clinton Avenue site consisted of flat and sloped, wooded, and old-field areas between the canal and Port Clinton Avenue. At each of the three sites, some of the contaminated soils were excavated and the remainder was graded and capped. The clean soil cap was then covered with an erosion control mat, seeded with native grasses, and planted with native shrubs. At the Hamburg Playground and Port Clinton Avenue site, the existing trees and much of the existing vegetation were maintained to preserve the slope stability and the natural environment. Great care was taken to ensure community access to the municipal park. Some of the important considerations included retaining the existing trees, dealing with invasive species, maintaining the plants during a drought, and channeling storm-water runoff. The work was coordinated with the Hamburg Borough Council, the Schuylkill River Greenway Association, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). The actions resulted in a stabillized slope with channelized storm water to control erosion and protect the river, a clean soil and plant cover that eliminates exposure to human and animal receptors, and an aesthetically pleasing and usable area that meets the needs of the community and the local conservation/environmental organization.